Jeddah's Old Wall and Gates:

The wall surrounding Jeddah was built by Hussain Al-Kurdi, who was one of the Mamluk Princes, because he wanted to protect the Red Sea from the attacks by the Portuguese thus embarking on providing it with castles, towers, and cannons to repel the warships that are assaulting the city. He also initiated the construction of this wall and dug a trench outside it to further guard the city from enemy attacks. With the help of the people of Jeddah, the wall was built and had two doors; one on the side facing Makkah and the other facing the sea. It has been said that the wall had six towers, each having a circumference of 16 'Thiraa' (an Islamic measurement unit around 50 cm) and consisted of six doors: Bab (door) Makkah, Bab Al-Medina, Bab Shareef, Bab Jadeed, Bab Al-Bantt, and Bab Al-Magharba. However, at the beginning of this century, a new door was added, which was called Bab Al-Subba. The wall was removed in 1947 AD because it came into the urban area of the city.

Areas of Old Jeddah:

The city of Jeddah was divided inside the wall into several neighborhoods, which were each called 'Hara' by the people of the city. These neighborhoods acquired their names from their geographical locations inside the city or through famous events they have witnessed:

• Harat Al-Mathloum: this neighborhood was named after a man called Abdul Karim Al-Barzunji, who was killed by the Ottoman government (mathloum means innocent victim). It is located to the north-east inside the wall at the north of Al-Alawi Street and includes Dar Gabel, Al-Shafei Mosque, and Souq Al-Jame'i (market).
• Harat Al-Shaam: is located in the northern part inside wall in the direction of the Al-Sham region (currently known as Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine). In this neighborhood lies Dar Al-Sarti and Dar Al-Zahid.
• Harat Al-Yemen: is located in the southern part inside the wall, south of Al-Alawi Street. It gained its name because it faces the direction of Yemen, and includes Dar Naseef, Dar Jamjoum, Dar Sha'rawi, and Dar Abdelsamad.
• Harat Al-Bahar (sea): is in the south-western part of the city of Jeddah, which is overlooking the sea. It includes Dar Radwan, which was then known as Radwan Al-Bahar.
• Harat Al-Karanteenah: is located to the south of Jeddah and was facing the old seaport before covering the shallow waters in front of it for the establishment of the Port of Jeddah and the oil refinery. Pilgrims coming by sea entered through this neighborhood, which is the oldest one outside the walls of Jeddah. It is inhabited these days by a majority of immigrants coming from African countries and is next to Jeddah's southern oil refinery.
• Harat Al-Millioun Tifil (million children): is just to south of Jeddah and was called this because of the presence of a lot of children in the alleyways of the neighborhood.

Old Jeddah Mosques:

• Al-Shafe'i Mosque: is situated in Harat Al-Mathloum in Al-Jame'i market, which is the oldest of its mosques. It is said that its minarets were built in the 7^th Hijri Century (13^th AD) and is unique in its architecture of a quadrangle with central open-air ventilation. It has witnessed a lot of restoration and maintenance and is still used to perform prayer.
• Othman bin Affan Mosque: is also called Ebony Mosque (mentioned by Ibn Battuta, and Ibn Jubayr in their journeys) due to the existence of two ebony poles. It is located in Harat Al-Mathloum, has a huge minaret, and was built in the 9^th & 10^th Hijri centuries.
• Al-Basha Mosque: is located in Harat Al-Sham and was built by Bakr Basha, who was the governor of Jeddah in 1735 AD. It had a minaret which gave the city an archaeological and architected landmark; and has remained unchanged until 1978 AD when it was demolished and another mosque was built in its place.
• Akkash Mosque: is located on Gabel Street to the west and was built before 1379 AH. Its construction was planned by Mr Akkash Abaza and the level of its floors was raised from the ground level of the street so that people use stairs to get into it. It remains in good condition and prayers are held in it until this day.
• Al-Mi'maar Mosque: is located on Al-Alwai Street to the west in Harat Al-Mathloum and was ordered by Mustafa Mi'maar Basha in 1384 AH. It is now in good condition, prayers are held in it, and it has its own endowments.
• Al-Rahmah (mercy) Mosque: is built over the surface above the sea on the Cornich of Jeddah.
• King Saud Mosque: is situated in the Al-Balad region of the city and was built in the reign of King Saud.
• Maqbarat (cemetery) Al-Sheikh Hamed bin Nafi: is located on old Makkah-Jeddah Road and is called this after Sheikh Hamed bin Nafi, who was a descendant of the Prophet's house of Hashim. His genealogy extends to Al-Shareef Abi Malik bin Sheikha Al-Qasim-the Prince of Medina. His descendants today are found in eastern Sudan and are called after Sheikh Hamed Bin Nafi.
• Maqbarat Ummuna Hawa' (cemetery of Our Mother Eve): is located in the center of the city; and it is believed that Eve died and was buried in this cemetery.

Old Jeddah Markets:

The approximate area within the walls of the city of Jeddah amounted to 1.5 square kilometers, which still contains touches of traditional life with old social and economic features. This is currently concentrated around the mosques and souqs (markets) in the region where some of the popular shops and traditional crafts are found. Among the most famous markets of the area's historical past, which constitute its vital economic lifeline:

• Souq Al-Alawi
• Souq Al-Bado (Bedouins)
• Souq Gabel
• Souq Al-Nada (dew)

The most important markets and 'Khans' (small shops) in old Jeddah were:

• The fish market 'A-Banqalah'.
• Vegetables market and butchers in Al-Nawareeya area, which is located at the end of Gabel Street to the east.
• 'Al-Souq Al-Kabeer': a large market where fabrics are sold in small and large shops filled with fabrics of different kinds.
• 'Souq Al-Khasikeeya' located behind the house of Sheikh Mohammed Naseef.
• 'Souq Al-Nada' where most of the shops sell shoes.
• 'Souq Al-Jami' named after the Al-Shafee'i Mosque.
• 'Souq Al-Hababa' located in Bab Makkah.
• 'Souq Al-Haraaj', which is an "open auction" market that was located in Bab Shareef.
• 'Souq Al-Bado' in Bab Makkah selling everything that attracts the inhabitants of the desert (Bedouins).
• 'Souq Al-Asor' (evening market), which is located in Bab Shareef and was held in the evening of every day at the time.
• 'Souq Al-Baragheeya' where saddles for donkeys, mules and horses were manufactured at the Shorbatly Building.
• 'Souq Al-Subaheeya' where 'Masabih' (beads) were manufactured, which was located in 'Souq Al-Khasikeeya'.
• Khans of Old Jeddah: the so-called 'Khan' also known as 'Qaysareeya', which means a market consisting of a set of shops opening and closing onto each other. Some of the most important 'Khans' of old Jeddah are: Khan Al-Honood (Indians), Khan Al-Qasaba (pipe) place of the cloth trade, Khan Al-Dalaleen (auctioneers), and Khan Al-Attareen (perfume makers/sellers).